Nanjing releases draft law banning minors under 6 to be left alone

Children walk home together after school in Pingluo village, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, March 19, 2013. [Photo by Meng Zengshi/Asianewsphoto]

No child under six years of age can be left alone without proper care in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, according to a new local draft law released for public scrutiny.

The draft adds that minors must not be physically harmed by parents or guardians. Minors should not be subjected to chronic hunger as punishment, according to the draft law, which also protects children from the use of insulting language by their guardians.

Children under six years old, or those who require special care due to physical disabilities, are not to be left alone. However, adults who lack the capacity for civil conduct, or those who carry legally registered infectious diseases, do not qualify as proper guardians.

Organizations or individuals are obliged to notify authorities if they see any left-behind children under 16 years old live without parents or guardians.

Parents who fail to perform their duty for six months and above will be stripped of their guardianship.

Public security agencies must contact the parents or put the child into institutional care. In cases where parents fail to return for their children, a court can revoke their guardianship.